Here are the 2015 Interns at the Shepherd Consortium Opening Conference in Arlington, VA! They are joined by Tiernan Meyer ’11, a former Shepherd Intern who now works as a Senior Associate at Avalere Health in Washington, D.C.
(From left, Tom & Nancy Shepherd, Tiernan Meyer ’11, Birgitta Cheng ’17, Elizabeth Lee ’17, Christina Brook ’18, Elsa Alvarado ’18, Jennifer Koide ’17, Kate Johnson ’18, and Tiffany Sargent ’79).
Established in 2011, the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty unites nearly two dozen institutions to collaborate for an important venture in undergraduate and professional education. The member schools integrate rigorous classroom study of poverty with tailored and focused summer internships and co-curricular activities during the academic year. This combination, sustained over two or three years, enriches the education of students in a wide variety of majors and professional studies who intend many different career paths. The intent is to prepare students for a lifetime of professional, civic and political activity that will diminish poverty, drawing on a multitude of perspectives and initiatives. (http://shepherdconsortium.org/)
As a member of the Consortium, Middlebury sends around five students to participate in the internship program annually. These interns are encouraged to continue their studies and work related to poverty on campus through Middlebury’s own Privilege & Poverty initiative.